Improved Google Marketing Tags Template for GTM

A Google Marketing Tags tag template with an improved UI that allows for greater flexibility for Google Ads Conversion, Floodlight Pixel and Merchant Center tags.

Preface

This tag template won't be for everyone. This template is geared more toward GTM power users with advanced implementation practices that require a more robust UI for how variables are used inside of Google Ads Conversion and Floodlight tag from Google. This tag template took inspiration from WebMechanix Improved GA4 Tag Template for GTM created by Derek Cavaliero that used a similar UI pattern. Since all Google products now are shifting to using the Google Tag (gtag), it made sense to create this template using the GA4 Improved template as a foundation.

What it does

1. Load the gtag.js library if needed.
2. Registers an arguments queue on the default dataLayer global.
3. Implements a better UI that accepts a variable that returns a JavaScript object with the fields/parameters/properties you want to set. This object will be merged with any additional fields you set via a normal key:value table. Any object key conflicts will always use the explicitly defined value in the key:value table.
4. (Experimental) Accepts multiple conversion pixels (Google Ads Conversions or Floodlight tags) in one tag leveraging gtag() send_to parameter. In the same tag, we can add conversions for multiple Google Ads accounts, Campaign Manager 360, Display & Video 360, and so on.
5. (Experimental) Support for all Google Ads Conversion tag from Google (default template) features and the ones that are supported only using gtag(). Support for Floodlight tags as well.
   1. Google Ads Conversion tags using gtag
   2. Floodlight tags using gtag
   3. Google Ads Enhanced Conversions
   4. Google Ads Conversions with New Customer Data
   5. Google Ads Conversions with Cart Data
   6. Google Ads Conversions with Transaction ID and Value
   7. Google Merchant Center Purchase Events
   8. Disable the collection of personalized advertising data

Example

Below you will find a possible configuration scenario for a tag with 3 Google Ads conversions, 1 Floodlight pixel and 1 Merchant Center event.

You can use all the parameters that are listed in gtag documentation for these tags.

Caveat

One point of caution here is that: since we are using gtag, it has the power to trigger GTM triggers if the event name used in the gtag call is an event used by a GTM trigger.

Reason: gtag is nothing more than a data layer push

window.gtag = function() { window.dataLayer.push(arguments); }.

Example: the call gtag('event', 'purchase', { ... }) can trigger triggers that expect the event 'purchase'. Whereas the call to gtag('event', 'conversion', { ... }) can trigger triggers that expect the event 'conversion'.

By default, the 'conversion' event was left configured, as suggested by Google Ads documentation. However, the same caution applies: be sure to check for triggers that fire on this event.

Note that native Google Ads conversion tags in GTM use the 'purchase' event. Nevertheless, no problems were identified in using 'conversion' as the event name.

However, if product information is passed in the tag (via the items parameter), the template will use the 'purchase' event, as mandated by the documentation. Here it is necessary to be careful, as it will trigger some triggers that expect the 'purchase' event.

💡 To address this issue, simply create a variable of type Data Layer using the eventModel.from_gtm_template variable from the data layer (this template inserts this key in all its events).

• In the trigger, this variable should be inserted with the comparison does not equal true.
• Or, if you don't want to modify the original trigger, you can use an exception trigger. Add this variable to it with the comparison equals true.

Limitations

dataLayer

Google's Sandboxed Javascript doesn't allow for the ability to customize what global variable is used for the arguments queue. If you need to specify a non-default dataLayer global, you will need to edit the template file dataLayerName constant to your needs.

gtag.js is loaded from www.googletagmanager.com

Google's Sandboxed Javascript doesn't allow for the ability to customize what domain and path is used to load the gtag.js library. If you wish to load the gtag.js file in a non-default way (e.g. proxy through a sGTM container or other 1st party means) you will need to edit the template file at this time.

Built-in consent checks

This tag template has not yet been adjusted to use built-in consent checks for things like consent-mode that the default GA4 tag templates do.

Author(s)

Giovani Ortolani Barbosa